Nintendo “in a world of trouble right now”, says Pachter

Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter has said that Nintendo waited too long to enter the high definition world with Wii U, and that as a result it now finds itself in a world of trouble.

Speaking on ABC News 10, Pachter said, “Nintendo’s in trouble right now. Nintendo, I think, waited two years too long to launch a competitive, high definition console…I think by the time they did launch a console which stacks up really well, the other two guys [Sony and Microsoft] passed them by, and I think they’re in a world of trouble right now.”

We’ve since seen two big publishers run from Wii U, namely Ubisoft and EA. Both companies have stated publicly that they want to see Nintendo sell more consoles before they can pledge full support once more.

On the issue of publishers, Pachter continued, “The publishers are pretty excited to support the Xbox One and the PS4 – they really didn’t say anything about the Wii U. And we know EA has no games in development for Wii U.

“If Activision pulls support; if you see Ubisoft, you see Take-Two pull support, the Wii U is a Nintendo-only gaming device which is they way they were back with the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985. They’re not going to sell a lot of consoles if they don’t have games like FIFA and Battlefield and Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto.”

On Nintendo’s struggle to return to prosperity, Pachter added, “I think they are at the bottom of a huge mountain with a huge uphill climb, I don’t think they’re going to get that mojo back, I think these two guys [Sony and Microsoft] are passing them by. There’s PS4 priced fifty bucks more than a Wii U. I mean, why would anyone buy a Wii U, unless they just have to play Nintendo games?

“I think the way it shakes out is, anyone who buys a Wii U who really is a hardcore gamer is going to buy a PS4 or an Xbox One in addition so they can play those third party titles that they love, so I think Nintendo becomes a distant third in this console race.”

What do you make of Nintendo’s standing with Wii U? Is it in a precarious position? Let us know below.